Wolf herring

Wolf herrings are a family (Chirocentridae) of two marine species of ray-finned fish related to herrings.

Wolf herrings Temporal range: 55–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Eocene to Present[1]
Dorab wolf-herring
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Clupeiformes
Family:	Chirocentridae Bleeker, 1849[2]
Genus:	Chirocentrus Cuvier, 1816
Type species
Clupea dorab Fabricius, 1775[3]
Species
See text
Synonyms[3]
Neosudis Castelnau, 1873

Both species have elongated bodies and jaws with long sharp teeth that aid their ravenous appetites, primarily for other fish.^[4] They can grow up to1 m in length and have silvery sides with bluish backs.

They are commercially fished and sold fresh or frozen.

Wolf Herring tends to stay near costal water off Africa and Asian. Mostly in the Indian Ocean, but some Wolf Herrings have also been spotted near Australian beaches.

Species

• Chirocentrus dorab (Fabricius, 1775) - Dorab wolf-herring, found in warm coastal waters from the Red Sea to Japan and Australia
• Chirocentrus nudus Swainson, 1839 - whitefin wolf-herring, found in a similar range (This species is difficult to distinguish from C. dorab; the former has a black mark on its dorsal fin. This species is also known to eat crabs in addition to its usual diet of smaller fish.)